Tom Dermody, editor of The Catholic Post in Peoria, Ill., was one of thousands from the eastern half of the country who took long bus rides to participate in the march. Later, he created a slideshow of photos of the Peoria diocesan contingent participating in the march and the youth rally earlier that day at the Verizon Center here in Washington.

And then he set it to music — a song he wrote and performed called “Life Begins at the Beginning” — and then posted it on the paper’s Web site.